Notes

You use would, used to, and the past continuous to talk about past actions, but each has a different nuance: would and used to describe repeated habits, while the past continuous describes ongoing actions at a specific moment in the past.
-Used to + infinitive -------> Past habits or states that are no longer true.
I used to live in London.
-Would + infinitive -------> Past repeated actions (not states).
*Notes: More storytelling, often used after introducing the topic with used to.
Every summer we would go camping.
-Past continuous (was/were + -ing) -------> Ongoing action at a specific time in the past.
I was reading when she called.
Focuses on what was happening at a particular moment, not on habits.
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📘 How to Use Them
1. Used to
Expresses habits or states in the past that no longer happen.
Examples:
I used to play basketball every weekend.
She used to be very shy.
👉 Use it when introducing a past routine or describing something that has changed.
2. Would
Expresses repeated past actions, often in storytelling.

Examples:

When we were kids, we would spend hours outside.

My grandfather would always tell us stories before bed.

👉 Use it for vivid memories of repeated actions, but not for states (you can’t say “I would be shy”).

3. Past Continuous
Expresses ongoing actions at a specific time in the past.

Examples:

At 8 p.m. last night, I was watching TV.

They were playing football when it started to rain.

👉 Use it to set the scene or describe background actions.

📝 Practical Tips
Start with used to when introducing a habit: I used to play guitar.

Switch to would for storytelling: Every evening, I would practice for hours.

Use past continuous to describe what was happening at a moment: I was practicing when my friend called.

🚀 Quick Exercise
Try rewriting this:

When I was a child, I ______ (play) outside every day. One afternoon, I ______ (ride) my bike when it started to rain.

Answer:

When I was a child, I used to play outside every day. One afternoon, I was riding my bike when it started to rain.
(You could also say I would play outside every day for the first blank.)

Exposition Text (English)
Today I am going to explain three verb forms that we use to talk about the past in English: would, used to, and the past continuous. Even though all of them refer to past actions, each one has a different nuance.

First, used to.
We use used to to talk about habits or states that happened in the past but no longer happen now. For example: I used to live in London means “I lived in London before, but I don’t anymore.” It is useful for introducing routines or describing how things were in the past.

Second, would.
We use would to talk about repeated actions in the past, especially when we are telling a story or remembering something. For example: When I was a child, we would play outside every afternoon. Notice that would is only used for actions, not for states. You cannot say I would be shy to mean a past state.

Finally, the past continuous.
This form is built with was/were + verb ending in -ing. It describes actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past. For example: I was reading when she called. Here the focus is on what was in progress at that exact time, not on a habit.

To summarize:

Used to = past habits or states that no longer happen.

Would = repeated past actions, often in storytelling.

Past continuous = actions in progress at a specific moment in the past.

With these three forms, we can talk about the past in a more precise and varied way.